This isn't the sort of post I was expecting to make until after graduation, nor is it a post I am particularly happy to write given the circumstances. But unfortunately, it's something that simply must be done.

This afternoon I was informed about an incident of cyber harassment that took place on Friday by someone purporting to be a member of this community. Like Jarret, I condemn this incident, and we’re both ashamed and embarrassed that anyone in this community would engage in this kind of behavior. This incident crossed a line for me that simply should not have been crossed, and I cannot remain emotionally attached to a community where these sorts of actions are condoned.

Thus, I feel I have no choice but to resign as Chief Education Director. I will continue to work on other sites with Jarret, and temporarily assist Jarret while he manages my exit, but after what happened this Friday I simply cannot remain involved with AutoAdmit anymore, at least not in its current incarnation.

This isn't the sort of post I was expecting to make until after graduation, nor is it a post I am particularly happy to write given the circumstances. But unfortunately, it's something that simply must be done.<<

GTO has been thinking about resigning for a while. This explains why GTO has been silent for a while.

>>This afternoon I was informed about an incident of cyber harassment that took place on Friday by someone purporting to be a member of this community. Like Jarret, I condemn this incident, and we’re both ashamed and embarrassed that anyone in this community would engage in this kind of behavior. This incident crossed a line for me that simply should not have been crossed, and I cannot remain emotionally attached to a community where these sorts of actions are condoned.<<

GTO is upset at the letter sent to the Yale faculty regarding the criminal activities of a student's father. See http://www.xoxohth.com/thread.php?thread_id=592608&forum_id=2 . This, as well as other threads, have clearly crossed the line. It's interesting how GTO drew the line *here* and not somewhere else.

>>Thus, I feel I have no choice but to resign as Chief Education Director. I will continue to work on other sites with Jarret, and temporarily assist Jarret while he manages my exit, but after what happened this Friday I simply cannot remain involved with AutoAdmit anymore, at least not in its current incarnation.<<

"Chief Education Director" was a hilarious title anyway. So you're still going to work on "other sites" with Jarret? This doesn't sound like a resignation.

"an incident of cyber harassment...by someone purporting to be a member of this community....we’re both ashamed and embarrassed that anyone in this community would engage in this kind of behavior....crossed a line...that simply should not have been crossed...I cannot remain...where these sorts of actions are condoned."

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume this is flame.

If, however, you suddenly feel responsible for some of the complete douchebags who frequent this board, then you have been one naive fuck all along for not having this enlightenment sooner.

No one is responsible for anyone else's behavior on this board. We all know it. Your firm apparently feels otherwise.

His excuse is bullshit because the purported incident that put him over the top isn't much different than the numerous incidents he looked past on many prior occasions.

It is a PR move to save his professional rep/career which is actually a smart move at this point. I think the Google discontinuation played a factor as well since there no longer was a financial incentive to put up with all the hassle of running this cesspool of a website.

I've heard $80k per year bandied about by posters. While I don't believe the $80k figure, I do believe the $1000- expenses is bullshit they feed to us so that the posters don't feel like GTO/Rach are making money off of them. A figure somewhere in the middle is probably the true amount.

while you make a good point that shit like this has gone down incessantly for the last 3 years and that this may be a "convenient" way to amble out, i dont buy the financial incentive motive.

GTO was running this place for about 2 years without any google ads. rachmiel has said that the google ads bring in about 1000 per year which are then spent on server costs. i dont know how much of that to believe but it seems to make sense. the #s being floated for google ads are just ridiculous... $80,000? NFW.

I understand your decision. You must make a decision that is best for yourself. It is a shame how some people reacted to the Wash Post article.

That said, you should not leave. Autoadmit is awesome. Reading this board has provided me with hours of entertainment. I always enjoyed peeking at the board when doing law review assignments or reading for class. This board has provided so much useful info regarding firms, interviews and law school in general. I doubt it will be the same if you leave.

the chickens have come home to roost. you condone and promote (by providing a forum for it) anti-social behavior things like this happens. gto was insistent that people be allowed to write all forms of hurtful things directed towards a number of groups. this was completely foreseeable and i am not sympathetic.

Date: March 21st, 2007 1:15 PMAuthor: UnfrozenCavemanLawyerSubject: AND THEY ALWAYS TARGETED THE LITTLE PEOPLE

the attackers here have always been about targeting whatever little people they feel do not fit into their mold. You hardly ever see them attacking the institutions, or those in power. No indeedy, the little twerps here are all about supporting those at the top.

As for the board, it's always been rachmiel's baby and he has always made the policies, so my resignation really shouldn't have any impact. I'm still going to work on the law firm salary charts and various other things, so I'll still be around. This isn't a retirement, just a resignation.

Well, I don't think they'd have much of a reason to lie about it, and it seems to be in line with what I've heard internet advertising brings in, but who knows? Also, the site had no google ads and thus brought in no money until last June, apparently, so GTO was here for a number of years without a financial incentive (unless you count as financial incentive the hope of one day having google ads on the site, but presumably there was no reason they could not have had advertisements before June of last year if they were in this for the money).

but you only do something like that for king and country. In the case of the internet there is never a reason to show weakness. If you guys are worried about a lawsuit host this shit in Russia and register the site in the name of some Russian OAO instead of an Amerian LLC.

I have not spoken to my firm about this at all, nor did Penn, Jarret, or anyone else encourage me to make this decision. This choice is entirely my own. After what was done in this community's name last Friday, I just couldn't look at myself in the mirror anymore if I stayed in this position.

yes but spreading it among xoxoers is one thing. if i found something like that i would never post it. i wish the person who found it waited until the whole wapo article backlash had passed before posting it here. sending it to her professors is really stupid and unnecessary.

You're a good dude who got WAY too much shit from people even though you treated them with kid gloves but you absolutely butchered the handling of this board for the longest time. Your (rachmiel's?) myopic insistence on standing up for "free speech" was just foolish to begin with and it led to this site being infested with the trolls that have engaged in the behavior that have caused it to degenerate and you to be so disgusted that you resigned. Three questions:

Translation: I'll continue work on some shit in the background, maybe even moderate a little here and there, but I don't want to be a media lightning rod and I'm distancing myself from this board publicly before my legal career is trashed.

Good move. There is no reason two people should get bashed for this site IRL when one person should suffice. Should have made it months ago or years ago.

Anthony, while it's definitely a relief to see that you have some concerns about the consequences of unchecked anonymous speech, it seems to be a bit of a dodge to just quit the site while leaving the abhorrent content up to incite further antics. Resigning is probably a good idea, but so is using your current power to make life better for those who have been negatively affected by xo. I hope you'll consider doing that.

And before anyone feels the need to point it out - yes, this is "mobell."

You're a fucking retard. This board has been constantly contacting people (women) and letting them know they're being discussed on xo (i.e. the 15-year-old super-hot girl from myspace who showed up and got bombarded with comments about her body and all the law schoolers who'd like to fuck her..) the site already showed signs of not leaving things INSIDE of it but of going outside to take some sort of action and it had always been condoned. So this is no surprise given the "culture" of the site. Stupid idiot.

I'm sorry. I don't myself wouldn't even know how to handle things around here once they crossed into IRL, frankly. That's a hell of a lot of bullshit you'd have to put up with and at some point you just have to make the decision about whether or not it's worth it. Your energy is probably best spent elsewhere. Good luck with everything.

what that one douche did wasn't condoned, supported, or suggested in any way by the vast majority of xoxo. are you going to let one person's (NOT the whole board's) descent to that level kick you out your position?

Good point - his plan was to run this site for a number of years without payment and then start raking it in to the tune of a few hundred dollars per month and then hit the road once the party was over.

You're right - he ran this site for a number of years with no income, and then one day it dawned on him that he could have advertising on this site and soon made $80,000, then resigned when that income stream dried up and made off with the cash.

Yeah, and that's why the ONLY thing he ever mentioned about the revenue coming into this board was that it was enough that he didn't have to work. And then within the week after it dried up, he's "resigning"--not retiring from posting, just not running the site anymore. He's not offended enough to stay away or stop posting, but he's SO offended that he cant run the site.

I think those claims were just posturing to seem more invulnerable to predictions that running this site would place his professional reputation in jeopardy, and I would guess that he was somewhat embarrassed when rachmiel disclosed the actual sum brought in by the advertising.

I think this interpretation is in line with the fact that there was no advertising on the site for a number of years, yet GTO still ran it (with more or less the same amount of traffic the board has now and thus the same potential advertising revenue). I don't think your theory accounts for this.

That said, it does seem somewhat odd to resign at this point, and I think the YLS email excuse is probably just pretext, but it's more likely that GTO perhaps suddenly had reason to believe that his further association with this site would have an adverse effect on his future career.

Not implying that GTO is quitting because of the money thing, but it's a pretty stupid argument that just because he used to run the site and made no income, that he isn't quitting now because the income has dried up. It took this forum some time to be able to generate ad revenue; if something then happened that killed all that momentum, that could be a good reason to quit.

So your argument is that the website did not have enough traffic to generate ad revenue until June of last year? From what I've heard, there is less traffic on this site now than then, and there was certainly enough then to generate some advertising revenue.

Perhaps, but for your argument to work you have to make the following two assumptions:

1) GTO and Rachmiel decided to forego income for a number of years, even though ths site had heavy traffic and there was little reason for giving up that potential revenue (can you think of a reason?)

2) Rachmiel lied about the actual revenue the site brings in, greatly understating it (or this revenue was just the beginning, and the site would eventually bring in much larger sums of money perhaps because of the acquisition of various other law school discussion boards or law school numbers)

There are lots of possible reasons as to why they waited until last year to pursue ad revenue. Perhaps they didn't have the time, ability, or motivation until last year. Possibly they had some other long-term strategic reason for waiting.

Again, you might be right, but I think that it is more likely that money was not originally a major consideration, that they eventually decided to experiment with advertising, that it brought in relatively little revenue, and that the primary reason for GTO's resignation is not money-related, but who knows.

From one captain, who has lurked beneath the choppy seas, to a captain who bore our flag alone, and faced the fury of the storms in his explorations, I thank you for everything that you've done for this forum.

When you have to set principle against principle, it's always a tough thing. But when you see the edge of the abyss, it's best to set the course for home. I salute you and your decision to resign.

We have waged many a battle on the high seas over the years (or at least the 2 months that I have posted), but no man can deny that you have captained this vessel with good intentions, even if they disagree with your decisions.

I am sorry if I contributed in any way to this moment. But we both know that you are going to have a great career and that you are making the right move at a good time to do so. Enjoy graduation, and I look for good things from you in the future.

Does anyone think that the guy who sent the email to YLS Faculty/Vault Law firms actually committed any sort of tort/crime? It seems to me like while what he did was very immoral, it's not illegal in the least. He passed around information that is apparently true (or at least he reasonably believed it to be true). It was a non-commercial email. He sent it to people who could plausibly be thought to be interested in its content (suppose a YLS faculty member Googled Heide Iravani and saw these articles... would he read the story or not? I'd say he probably would).

And regarding the pics, she posted them on the internet. There was no notice that they were copyrighted in any way. Posters have a right to comment on a person's physical appearance in their pics. She's a cute girl.

So... what do you think... any crimes/torts here? I sure can't see any, but I want to know whether you all think I'm missing something here (again, I'm focusing on the legality, not the morality, which is obviously an entirely separate issue).

even this could be 'proven' bc i believe the fact pattern contains something where her father said 'my daughter really wanted a pony... and thats what i used the money for'. so i thikn the poster was ok (legally) here.

that said, it is morally beyond th epale.

i do not think there is legal recourse. i think it is the same analysis as with the xoxo content; not legally actionable.

even this could be 'proven' bc i believe the fact pattern contains something where her father said 'my daughter really wanted a pony... and thats what i used the money for'. so i thikn the poster was ok (legally) here.

that said, it is morally beyond th epale.

i do not think there is legal recourse. i think it is the same analysis as with the xoxo content; not legally actionable.

This is laughable. That someone suffered misfortune may be regrettable. We even can't be sure of that, since this just might be Karma's way of reclaiming its unjust enrichment. Don't think for an instant that Papa's display of moral bankruptcy didn't manifest itself in other ways. That said, I could not possibly care any less. People suffer far greater, real injustices every day.

Do I condone some anonymous miscreant's poor judgment in blasting law school faculty with horseshit? Hell no. But to impute this fuck's dumb conduct onto GTO or the rest of this "community" strains reason. Even the law limits how far direct causation will be traced.

GTO is right to condemn this activity and to distance himself to save face and hide. But the rest of this caterwauling has got to fucking stop. I sure as hell didn't send that missive, so I'll be damned before I shoulder any responsibility. To torpedo the board over this mess is plainly stupid. Most of the misfits that frequent this site can't control their own behavior. To pretend that they're somehow responsible for controlling the behavior of others is extravagant exaggeration. Grow the fuck up. Own your own conduct. Do good.

Probably a wise move GTO. Your contributions were valuable, your absence will be felt, but can't argue with you on this one. As I frequently do interviews on behalf of my V20, it's better to distance yourself while you can. We're lame like that.

can someone give me a link to the threads about why they stopped the google ads and about the incidents.

i dont lurk in here as i used to, and frankly the only reason i visit this forum nowadays is because of the gossip and the events surrounding the webiste itself. will GTO stay or leave, will they find out the real pearson behind the "jews sucked german dicks for proteins" thread, all this and more if you stay tuned to autoadmit.com, the most prestigious bla bla bla

Definitely. That quotation mark makes no sense at all with the period right in-fucking-side of it, but the reply he gave me was definitely asinine. My post, in contrast, was nothing short of brilliant. ty

I know, dood. I always hit the nail right on the head. You should also stand up for free speech and begin making sexist and racist public derogatory remarks. You'd be a hero and people would be in awe of you. Free speech should never have limits because then it's no longer free speech. So if you feel like saying you want to fucking rape someone, don't fucking censure yourself and write down name and address, time of the raping and details.

He probably realized he may be fucking up his real world rep now that LS is nearing an end. The bottom line is that his real name has been out there for sometime but now his involvement in this cesspool is being scrutinized more than ever while 99% of the people here get to play around here in anonymity.

The thing that is perplexing is that he propped up the free speech angle for quite some time then leaves almost immediately after Wapo debacle. I'm sure the Google revenue stream being cut off didn't help matters either. It makes one question how genuine the free speech angle really was.

Frankly, I'm surprised he stayed involved this long. I personally would never attach my real name to a sleazy shithole site like this. The funny thing is this website run by an insurance guy & future attorney so there is cheesy joke in there somewhere. I really don't understand why a Penn law student would want to be known for this. It's the type of affiliation that can come back to haunt someone years later when the stakes are much higher. It's good that he got out....probably should have done it two years ago.

Yeah, that was dumb. I think he was able to hide behind the curtain for a few years by shielding himself from too much scrutiny by using the excuse that it was the users of the site that posted all this offensive content. While a convenient excuse, that shield fell apart recently once the heat got turned up when one of the those people who have been affected by xoxo's nonsense went to the mainstream media. Quite a few users have been screwed over in the past, but almost none went public. This Washington Post thing was bound to happen. Frankly, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner.

I think GTO miscalculated a bit in thinking he was more immune than he really was. He may have C&F issues now. I laugh when some of the tools here egg him on like some sort of martyr when none of their own asses are on the line.

Umm.. I have never claimed to be a lawyer, dumbass, so I don't see what exactly is your point. I usually ask questions, I don't go parading shit I don't know about. But why don't you quote what you're talking about? Are you afraid of putting the facts on the table?

PS: Is he also a dumb ignorant fool? LOL.

W. Bradley Wendel, a professor of law at Cornell University, said he discusses such concerns in his professional-responsibility class. "Students need to know that there are character and fitness committees out there that can consider these things," he said, referring to bar-admissions committees that have been known to reject candidates on the grounds that their actions show a propensity to violate rules governing the profession. "I don't like that whole process, in which committees can make invalid inferences about what people might do in the future, but students need to be aware of the potential consequences before they go popping off online."

You know, in the days and years before xoxo (c. 2003), a whole crew of us addicts were posting TTT snark on the princeton review law school board.

We ruled there for an entire age, enjoying all the delicious thrills of testing the bounds of moderation like horny corseted harlots in a Jane Austen novel. We'd always lose the close calls on offensive posts and threads eventually -- and yes, the most painstakingly created code and comedy got torn down all the time -- but it was about the coolest web community I'd ever been a part of.

Sure, there were bigots, and morons, and trolls, all spewing the most senselessly hateful drivel (just like here). But there was also a common cause there that tied together some of the best-informed smartass procrastinating wannabe lawyers in the world (just like here).

Posters and threads there were the stuff of legends. First mainstream mention of "bukkake" in America? The PR law board, baby ("It is a rare japanese art form ..."). The list goes on and on.

Then came apocalypse. The moderators tilted over to full-scale fascism and many (most?) of us took the opportunity to break the evil addiction and ride off into the sunset. Rowan stuck around a while, I know. And christ, I think I saw mobiusnu still posting here now and again. This is my first foray in at least 2 years -- provoked by all the buzz from the 3/7 WaPo article.

The point is, folks, GTO did a hell of a service in rescuing that community and that tradition from the smoldering ashes, and if anyone blames him either for going too far in resigning or not going far enough in not moderating sooner, well, that person ought to know the history.

The point in large part was to create a new homeland for PR refugees where no thread, EVER, would get vaporized by the thought police.

Now he finds out Hutu machete-men are using that refugee camp to launch heartless attacks on balloon-breasted Tutsi hotties at YLS.

The tragic moral dilemma of his journey oozes as thick and translucent as my cum.

Give the man a break. He's taken a tough and principled stand, IN PUBLIC, for at least the second time in his life.

Amidst this confusion of sentiments, the answer of the senate was unanimous and decisive. They refused to accept the resignation of Augustus; they conjured him not to desert the republic, which he had saved. After a decent resistance, the crafty tyrant submitted to the orders of the senate; and consented to receive the government of the provinces, and the general command of the Roman armies, under the well-known names of PROCONSUL and IMPERATOR.